1st place in AM 1=4th in Pro-$350, embarrassing?

I'm not sure if I should feel bad for this person or be congratulatory toward him, but the hero of this story just won 1st place in AM1 in our annual b-teir tourney, by 8 stokes(with 2nd place shooting his #1+#2 P.B.'s in two of four rounds).

If he would have entered open, he would have placed 4th=$250 + a guaranteed spot in a 5 hole safari skins match @ $100/hole.

Is this a good example of how "sand-bagging" sometimes doesn't pay off in the long run? or Should we think that we all have the potential, as am's, to beat a field of pros on any given day?

The first tourney I ever played I won the Novice division by 6 strokes and they where calling me a sandbagger. I moved up the next month and played in the intermediates. I finished 6th out of 21 and they where calling me a sandbagger. Based on how I felt my round went, I was having an off day putting, I will move myself up to Advanced for the next tourney.

I hate being called a sandbagger, and I hate more to think they I would ever sandbag.

I've noticed that our Open division and Advanced divisions play pretty close to the same scores. It's just that occasional time that a pro gets hot and busts the field, which is about every other tourney. I would play open, but I can't see competing with Mike Raley and Steve Rico for $50.00 at a monthly when the advanced field play just about as competetive.

it just seems like there has to be a simple way to fix this whole "sand-bagging" issue. I threw two good drives at the first tournament I played in and a kid from the group behind us called me a sand bagger, I finished at the bottom of Am 3. Is this a real problem or something that people just like to complain about? If it's a real problem, then it seems like there is a simple solution; make playing in the lower brackets much less attractive. Not fair? If you want to try to use disc golf to make money then become a better player and play in the highest brackets. The payouts shouldn't even be comparable, like with other real sports where "pros" are involved.

I would like to say that some players just don't want to play pro, which in my opinion is not that bad. There's a local guy i play with that could play in pro but just doesn't want too. Going by the rules nobody can be forced to move up to Pro open anyway. Plus its cheaper not to move up,

On the other hand it does suck to be beat by the same player over and over again. I played almost two years in Ams(am2), moved up to advanced and got my but kicked. I decided after a few months of loosing my butt of I would move back down, and there is often 2x as many am players. The first tourney I moved back to ams I won, and the whole dang park was calling me a bagger. I took it as a compliment as it being my first win, an was more then happy to take my bashing lol. Went on to not cash in the next two am tourneys, this weekend im back to the course I won on and Im sure im going to get a warm welcome ;b. Point to all this, maybe like the other guy, I just want to play where the fun is.

"Is this a good example of how "sand-bagging" sometimes doesn't pay off in the long run?"

Given that first place in advanced was won by an Intermediate, second place was a Recreational, and there were only two Advanced players in the 24-player advanced division, no. Absolutely not. This is a classic case of the rec players all playing in the Advanced division in a backwater disc golf community having no idea how "not Advanced" they are.

If you only want to play in Utah, sure, go pro with a 930 rating when you are on the verge of 950 with the next update. Then when life transfers you to somewhere where Recs and Intermediates are not filling the bottom of the Open division, good luck competing in Open.

Looking at his stats, it looks like he is rapidly improving and on the verge of becoming a good amateur. But with ratings ranging from 900 to 1000 this year, he is not sandbagging in Advanced. He is defining Advanced.

The fact that there are only 9 advanced rated amateurs in his state does not make him a pro for becoming the 10th next month. It just makes Utah a lonely place to play disc golf.

I don't think this has anything to do with the state of which you play disc golf in. and that is really creepy that you did so much research on this post. I never even mentioned the state the tourney was held in or the names or rating of any of the players of this anecdote, mainly to protect the innocent. This topic wasn't for you to dissect and analyze what our tournament scene is like, ITS THE ONLY TOURNEY WE HAVE TO PLAY IN, ALL YEAR! It was shared to ask your opinions on the abilities of Am golfers, not for you to trash the ability of every competitive disc golfer in the state of Utah. And, you are way off on everything you came up with!